The present invention relates to a control method and apparatus capable of displaying a video signal having a narrow aspect ratio on a television receiver having a wide aspect ratio. More particularly, it relates to a picture-out-picture control apparatus and method capable of displaying a plurality of picture-out-pictures (hereinafter referred to as POP) on a blank screen which is produced when an NTSC (National Television System Committee) broadcast is displayed on a television receiver having a wide aspect ratio such as a high definition television (HDTV).
The present NTSC television has a 4-to-3 aspect ratio. However, a 16-to-9 aspect ratio, such as in the high definition television, provides a user with a much more vivid image or stereo-like-vision. Even though high definition television broadcasts are not yet widely practiced, apparatus and methods for displaying the NTSC broadcast have been developed. Further, a video signal of the video cassette recorder, having a size of a visual system transmission algorithm (VISTA) on a television receiver with a 16-to-9 aspect ratio, have also been developed. If temporal compression of the video signal is not performed when displaying the NTSC broadcast on the 16-to-9 television receiver, the displayed pictures become spread out in the left and right directions on the screen. Accordingly, to display the NTSC broadcast with a 4-to-3 aspect ratio on the television receiver with a 16-to-9 aspect ratio, the NTSC broadcast signal should be temporally compressed, so that a user can watch the normal video pictures. However, since the temporally compressed video signal is short along the horizontal direction, the left or right side of the screen remains blank.
Also, in existing television receivers capable of displaying still pictures, when a still picture function is performed, an entire moving picture stops being displayed on the screen.